Ileana D’Cruz opens up on suffering from postpartum depression after child birth

Bollywood actor

Ileana

D’Cruz who recently welcomed her first child, a baby boy named Koa Phoenix Dolan, with her partner

Michael Dolan

recently spoke about the joys of motherhood and the pains of

postpartum

depression in an exclusive interview with Onkar Kulkarmi of Times of India. She announced the birth of her son on Instagram on August 1, 2023, and shared some glimpses of her pregnancy journey and her relationship with Michael.
In the interview, Ileana opened up about her struggle with postpartum depression, a mood disorder that affects some women after childbirth.

She said that she is still going through it and that it is not easy to cope with the changes in her body and emotions. She also revealed that she had faced some criticism and judgement from people who talked rubbish about her partner and her marriage.

The depression is real

Ileana said, "Postpartum depression is very real, and nothing can prepare you for it. I am glad that I had a good support system at home and a team of doctors who took good care of me. Topics like mom guilt are so real. I remember I was in my room, and I started crying. My partner asked me what was wrong and I told him, 'I know it sounds really stupid, but my son is sleeping in the other room, and I am missing him'. So, there are these intense emotions you go through after having a baby. I still am going through it. I am thankful that Mike is such an amazing partner."

Ileana also expressed her gratitude for having

Michael

as her rock, who has been supportive and understanding of her situation. She said that he has helped her with the baby nursing duties, wiped her tears, cracked jokes, and offered hugs when she needed them. She also said that she loves her son so much that she could explode, and that she is learning to be kind to herself and accept her flaws.

When asked if she was married to her partner she said, "There's so much speculation. Let's just leave it at that. It is nice to have a tiny bit of mystery, right? Well, honestly, I haven't decided how much I want to talk about this part of my life. It comes from a space where previously I talked about my relationship. I didn't like how some people spoke about it back then. I can handle things said about me, but I am not comfortable with people talking rubbish about my partner or my family."

Ileana and Michael are reportedly already married, according to a report by DNA India. The couple supposedly tied the knot on May 13, 2023, weeks before she announced her pregnancy. However, Ileana has not confirmed or denied the rumours of her marriage, and has kept her private life low-key. She only introduced Michael to her fans through her Instagram stories in July 2023, when they went on a romantic dinner date.
Ileana is known for her roles in films such as Barfi, Rustom, Raid, and Pagalpanti. She made her debut in Bollywood with Anurag Basu’s Barfi in 2012, after working in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She has won several awards and accolades for her performances, and has a huge fan following on social media. She is currently working on her upcoming project, Unfair and Lovely, a comedy film that deals with the issue of colourism in India.